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2 Sheets--Sheet 1.

E. B. BRIGHT.

FIRE TELEGRAPH.

No. 245,272. Patented Aug. 9,1881.

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mmmmn 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

E. B. BRIGHT.

FIRE TELEGRAPH;

Patented Aug. 9,1881.

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EDWARD B. BRIGHT, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

FIRE-TELEGRAPH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 245,272, dated August 9, 1881.

Application filed September 9, 1879. Patented in England February 13, 1878, in France August 9, 1878, in Germany August 10, 1878, and in Belgium August 14, 1878.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, EDWARD BRAILSFORD BRIGHT, of London, England, have invented certain Improvements in Applying Electricity and Apparatus connected therewith, (patented in England, No. 596, dated 13th February, 1878; in Germany, N 0. 6,212, dated 10th August, 1878; in France, N 0. 126,044, dated 9th August, 1878, and in Belgium, N 0. 45,932, dated 14th August, 1878,) of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in the employment of artificial electrical measures of resistance (or rheostats) for the purpose of making known the locality of a fire or of changes of temperature, such artificial measures of electrical resistance being used in combination with thermostats or appliances for closing or opening or making a variation in an electrical circuit or circuits by such fire or change of tempera ture, and with a differential receiving-instrumen t, as more particularly hereinafter set forth. It may also be applied in Vessels to give warning to the captain or officers of undue heat occurring in the holds, coal-bunkers, or other places.

In order that my said invention may be most fully understood and readily carried into effect, I will proceed to describe the drawings hereunto annexed.

In the drawings, Figure 1 shows a rheostat consisting of a coil of insulated wire, which I prefer to be made of German silver, being little susceptible of variations of conductivity arising from changes of temperature. The wire is varied in length according to the electrical resistance which it is desired to place in circuit, and its ends are connected with two metallic terminals, to and I), placed outside the coil. A rheostat is fixed at any point from which a warningindicating localityis required, and may be fastened by means of the screw shown passing through the center.

Fig. 2 is a section, and Fig. 3 a side view, of a thermostat consisting of a metallic box, inside of which is fixed a curved band, 0, formed of two metals, such as platinum and brass,

which expand unequally under the influence of heat. Opposite the end of the band cis an insulatedscrew, d, which can be so adjusted that the addition of any given amount of heat will, by its effect upon the band, bring the end of the band-c into contactwith the end of the screw terminal cl. The terminal 0 is connected with the metallic box, and therefore with the curved band 0.

Fig. 4 is a general plan, showing the apparatus I employ at the fire-brigade station, or

other place to which a warning is to be given, and also a diagram of the electrical circuits in connection with the thermostats and rheostats, by which the locality whence the warning proceeds is indicated.

Fig. 5 is a side view of the indicating apparatus at the fire-brigade station or other place to which a warning is to be given; and Fig. 6 a top external view of same. The-series of circles marked with numbers varying from 5 to 15, included by the bracket f, represent a number of rheostats placed in the various buildings or places from which an alarm may be given. They are connected together by a line-wire, g, extending'to the fire-brigade station, as shown by the diagram, which wire is there joined to one side of the differential coil h, and thence through the alarum i to one pole ofthe battery j. The same pole of the batteryj is also connected through the alarum to the other side of the differential coil h, and thence to the end of a series of rheostat-s fixed round a circle in the indicating apparatus at the station, which are also marked on the plan with numbers varying from 5 to 15, indicating electrical resistances correspondin g with those of the rheostats included in the bracket f before described. By means of the handle it the arm 1, with a spring, m, can be moved over a series of metallic plates, 12 n, which are insulated from each other and connected'consecw tively with the rheostats, as shown on the plan. The arm 1 and spring at are connected with the other pole of the battery j, which is also connected to the earth. To the handle 70 is attached a pointer, 0, moving outside the dial of the instrument over a circle of figures corresponding to the number of rheostats in the circuit. Connected to one end of each of the rheostats included in bracket f is a thermostat, the insulated screw of which, d, Figs. 2 and 3, is connected to the earth. On any undue increase of heat taking place the band 0, Figs. 2 and 3, of the thermostat makes contact with the insulated screw d, Figs. 2 and 3, and thus completes the circuit with the battery j, as shown by the dotted line 12. The electric current from the battery j passing thus through the alarum irings it, and also passing through one side of the diiferential coil h deflects the disk g, which is fixed to the axle of a permanent magnet contained within the coil h. On the alarm being thus given, the person summoned moves the handle it round the dial of the instrument, and as soon as the spring m comes into contact with the particular plate at connected with the rheostat that corresponds with the linerheostat which has been put to earth by the thermostat at the point from which the alarm is given, the electrical balance of the dilferential coil h is reestablished and the disk q returns to zero. The pointero indicates the number on the dial ofthe station-instrument, which corresponds with the number of the place on the station-list from which the alarm emanates.

In the plan of the apparatus, as drawn in Figs. 4, 5, and 6, only fifteen protected places are shown, but a larger or smaller number can be connected.

Fig. 7 shows by a diagram how one rheostat, T, may be connected with any number of thermostats, s s, distributed over a building, or a story of a building.

Fig. 8 shows how one station-instrument may be employed in connection with a number of wires and sets of protected buildings in various directions. In this drawing five wires, marked A, B, G, D, and E, are shown, each of which is connected with a separate metallic plate, as shown by the dotted lines, and also with an indicating coil and needle, (shown by a circle under each letter.) The plates may be connected by metallic plugs to a metallic plate connected with the alarum, and thence to one pole of the battery, as shown in the drawings, or to the station-indicating apparatus by a similar metallic plate on the other side. So long as there is no action of a thermostat on any of the circuits they are all connected by the plugs to the alarum-plate. On an alarm being given the alarum sounds, and the needle of the indicating-coil connected with the wire affected shows which circuit has to be disconnected from the ,alarum and put onto the station-indicating instrument. Thus if the signal comes along E, and No. 40 is indicated, a reference to the station list shows from which place the alarm emanates.

Fig. 9 shows apparatus by which the locality of each of several fires occurring about the same time on the same wire may be separately indicated. In this method the rheostats t t t t at the variousplaces protected have each a distinctive electrical resistance, corre sponding with which are a double set of rheostats in the station-instrument. One set of rheostats, u u u u, in the station-instrument are connected in the station-circuit, but are kept on short circuit by plugs inserted in the holes shown in the drawings. The other set of station-rheostats, v v v v, are so arranged as to be brought successively into circuits by the movement of the handle to with its arm and spring. The line-rheostats t t t t are kept on short circuits by the thermostats 97 av w x, which are arranged to open out and bring their respective rheostats into circuit on the application of heat. When at rest no rheostat is in circuit on the line or in the station-instrument, except just sufficient electrical resistance in the zero of the station-instrument to balance the electrical resistance of the line-wire circuit. A current is continually flowing from the battery y through the line-wire circuit and one side of the differential coil Z, and also through the station-instrument at zero and the other side of the differential coil Z. On a fire occurring the thermostat at the place afl'ected is withdrawn from its stud, thus bringing the rheostat into the line-circuit, thus disturbing the balance of the coils Z Z, and giving the alarm. Upon the handle w being turned the rheostats 'n c 'v are brought separately and successively into the station-instrument circuit until the rheostat ot' the series 42 v v which corresponds with the rheostat it from which the alarm comes has been reached, when the electrical balance being restored the indicator of Z Z returns to zero and the locality of the fire is known. The rheostat in the series u u u u, corresponding with the rheostat t, from which the alarm is given, is then broughtinto the station-instrument circuit by withdrawing its plug and the handle to and spring are brought back to zero. The line-circuit and station-circuit are thus balanced again. Upon another fire occnrrin g the same process is repeated, another rheostat, a, being brought into circuit corresponding with the rheostat t at the point of fire, thus again balancing the line-circuit.

Figs. 10 and 11 show a train of clock-work brought into action by a difl'erential relay, which moves round the contact-maker in connection with the station-rheostats in case of fire until the balance between the station-rheostats and the line-rheostats is reestablished, when the indicating-hand attached to the axle of the contact-maker (as in the apparatus worked by hand shown at Fig. 4) points to the number showing the locality of the fire. In these figures, 10 and 11, a a are the differential coils of the relay. b is the contact-maker influenced by them. 0 is the battery of the line and station circuit, and d the battery of the local relay-circuit. e is the coil of the alarum, and f is an electro-magnet actuating an armature, g, and thus releasing the escapement or detent h.

Having thus described my said invention,

and the best means I am acquainted with for carrying the same into effect, I wish it to be understood that what I claim is- The combination, with rheostats, or artificial means of electrical resistance, of thermostats or devices serving by means of a fire or change of temperature to close or open or make a variation in an electrical circuit or circuits, and a differential receiving-instrument, all arranged. substantially as described, the 10 combination operating to make known the 10- cality of such tire or change of temperature.

E. B. BRIGHT. Witnesses:

G. F. BEDFERN, A. ALBUTT. 

